Combined shipping-case and display-rack



G. H. WILKINS. COMBINED SHIPPING CASE AND DISPLAY RACK.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.29. 1919.

I 1,352,490. PatentedSept. 14, 1920.

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GEORGE H. WILKINS, OF GREENFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMBINED SHIPPING-CASE AND DISPLAY-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1920.

Application filed December 29, 1919. Serial No. 348,154.

To all whomitmag concern: 7

Be it known that I, Gnonen H. lVrLKINs, citizen of the United States of America, residing at Greenfield, county oi Franklin, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Shipping-Cases and Display-Racks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a combined shipping case and display rack for the purpose of holding mechanics tools, as screw drivers, drills, files, nail sets, etc., or other like articles of various kinds while being shipped from the factory or manufacturing plant to the jobber or retail dealer, and, combining therewith a structure for displaying these tools or articles after they have been received by the jobber or retail dealer.

An object of the present invention is to provide a box-like structure for shipping and displaying purposes so that the goods may be displayed in the same case in which they are shipped or received and which may be readily changed to exhibit the goods, as A mechanics tools or other wares, to the purchasing public. The invention, broadly considered, comprises a case made up of three members, the base or box member, an inter mediate and removable insert or extension member which is designed to be placed within the base member for providing a box or case of the requisite height. This extension member is, as stated, designed to be re' moved from the base member and discarded when the goods are received, and the cap or cover portion of the box is used for forming a support for holding thetools in an upright position. The cover of the case is provided with a plurality of openings of suitable size for the purpose of holding the tools contained in the case to be exhibited or dis played in vertical positions by placing one of them in each of the openings. The tools so displayed may rest on the bottom part of the base piece, or be supported on the cover, as shown.

For the purpose of properly spacing the cover from the base piece when the case is used to display the goods, posts or uprights are employed which are removably attached to the corners of the base and cover mem bers.

These uprights are to be used after the extension member has been removed from the base member. These corner pieces are preferably formed of thin metal and suitably cut or stamped for receiving the corner portions of the base and cover part of the shipping case.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the base, extension and cover members separated from each other. I

Fig. 2 shows the removable extension member separated from the base portion.

Fig. 3 shows the basemember after the extension member of the case has been removed, the corner supporting pieces placed suitably secured together at the corners as by dove-tailing indicated at 2. 3 indicates an extension member of any desired height which is placed inside of the base portion 1 as indicated in Fig. i. This piece is preferably made of some flexible material as straw board or 120d board. l designates the cover portion of the shipping and display having its corners secured together by dove tailing indicated at 5. The top portion I of the cover is formed with a plurality of vertical openings or holes 6 to receive the tools. '7 designates one of the cover supporting corner posts, preferably formed of thin metal as sheet steel and having two web or flange portions 8 and 9 bent at right angles to each other. as shown. Each of these webs is formed at its opposite ends with struck-up or bent away portions for forming the thin flexible tongues 10 and 11 and providing shoulders 10 and 11' to engage the upper and lower edges respectively of the base and cover. These extension members or corner pieces are made any suitable length, depending upon the purpose for which they are to be used in displaying different articles as bits, drills, screw drivers, files, nail sets and rivet punches, or other mechanics tools. This display feature of the rack or case is formedas follows: The extension member is removed from the shipping case in which the tools are packed and shipped to the dealer: The cover supporting corner pieces 7 are then placed on the base piece 1 .and the cover portion l, as shown, by placin the thin integ'al tongue members in and 11 on the inside portions at the corner parts of the base and cover and those parts of the post-like members 7 indicated at 12 and 13 are placed on the outer surfaces of the corner portions of the base and cover respectively.

The tools that are to be exhibited for sale by placing the display rack shown in Fig. 3 on a counter or show #ase are then inserted in the openings (3, it being understood that the same tools that are shipped to the dealer in the assembled casing shown in Fig. l are displayed, when the device is used for a dis play rack, as for example, the screw driver id "for use in bit brace, the drill l5, file 1G, rivet punch 16'', and screw driver 16 if these articles are the ones forwarded to the dealer in the shipping case.

It will be seen from this construction that the improvement combines the double purpose of a shipping case and display rack for mechanics tools or the like and one that 'an be constructed at small cost and readily assembled for packing the goods and set up for display purposes. It is also under stood that the cover supporting posts or corner pieces '7 are inclosed in the shipping case with the goods so that the dealer has a complete display rack with every shipment.

F 5 indicates a slight modification in which the cover supporting post members 7 are formed with integral struck-up tongue portions 17 from the web portions 8 and 9. These are used in the same manner as already described in connection with Fig. l.

It should be understood that the length of the cover supporting posts is sucn that the space between the cover and base-piece is such that the tools will project a suitable distance above the cover for display purposes, as shown in Fig. 8.

It should be observed that the openings in the cover a permit the various kinds of tools to be readily withdrawn from the display rack. It should also be observed that the tools do not necessarily rest upon tle bottom or base-piece, but may be supported on the cover as shown, where the screw driver 16 does not rest upon the bottom, but is supported in a pendant manner by the cover; the shank portion extending downward through the opening and the lower edge 01' the ferrule resting on the cover.

It should be observed that the tools are clearly displayed at their upper and lower ends and that some of them, as the screw driver, are suspended from the cover and do not rest upon the bottom of the box.

lVhat I claim is:

l. A box-like display rack for tools, in combination, comprising a base member, a cover formed wi h openings therein, means tor spacing said members from each other comprising members adapted to be placed on and removed from the base member whereby the articles to be displayed may be inserted in the openings of the cover portion and projecting both above and below the cover for displaying the upper and lower ends of the articles.

2-. A. combined shipping and display receptacle adapted to receive articles for shipping as mechanics tools, and including a cover and base-piece, the cover having a plurality of openings in its upper portion to receive the tools. post-like members for supporting the cover in spaced relation above the base-piece when used as a display receptacle, said members comprising angular shaped pieces having offset tongue members at their ends and formed with shouldered portions to engage the upper and lower edges of the base-piece and cover rcqaectively and portions oppositely located to the tongue member and of a length equal to said tongue to engage the inner and outer surfaces of the base-piece and cover re spectively and of a length equal to the heights of the base-piece and cover.

GEORGE H. WILKINS. 

